By Matthew Holloway |
In just the first week of September, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought criminal charges related to illegal immigration against 218 defendants.
Among these cases, 107 aliens faced charges for illegally entering the United States, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). 100 aliens were charged for re-entering unlawfully, along with eleven suspects charged for “smuggling illegal aliens into and within” the state as part of ‘Operation Take Back America’.
As reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO), the September cases were either referred or supported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
In the previous week, the last of August, 233 individuals were charged, showing a slight dip in apprehensions week-over-week. Still, the DOJ has maintained an overall consistent pace, with 107 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the U.S., and 108 aliens charged for illegally entering.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office highlighted a few notable cases, including one involving a Mexican national, Jose Uriel Meraz-Aguilar, 20, who U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested along with three other people. Aguilar was reportedly “wearing camouflage and carpet shoes,” and “attempted to travel north through the desert toward Interstate 8, but became separated,” a common scenario for human smugglers. Two of his companions were rescued and received medical care for dehydration and heat exhaustion.
According to the USAO, “Agents learned that Meraz-Aguilar was being paid to serve as a foot guide for the Salazares Cartel, and that he had left the individuals behind in the desert on cartel instructions.”
In a similar case, Edwuin Lucino Hernandez-Cordero, also a Mexican national, was charged with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien. The USAO’s report stated, “Hernandez-Cordero had previously been pulled over in July 2025 while transporting five illegal aliens. Subsequent investigation linked Hernandez-Cordero to stash houses in Glendale and Phoenix run by a human smuggling organization. Hernandez-Cordero and his associates were identified as drivers and caretakers involved in transporting illegal aliens throughout the United States for profit.”
The DOJ identified these cases as part of Operation Take Back America.
In aggregate, the DOJ publicly reported weekly data under ‘Operation Take Back America’ shows that for the past 27 weeks since the operation’s announcement, about 20,000 individuals have faced charges ranging from immigration violations, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses, to conspiring with narco-terrorist cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
